What to do when buyer claims sellers item broken?

Always make clear that the sale is "as is, where is." That is to say, the buyer either takes your word for the condition it is in or s/he can come verify it personally, but you're not going to hassle with him/her if it isn't what s/he expected. Now, to be ethical, this means that you must be VERY careful that you accurately describe the equipment and its current level of performance. The second thing it means is that if the equipment is damaged in shipping that is entirely a matter between the buyer and the carrier. Again, you must be very clear about how you are going to package and ship but it is up to the buyer to tell you if that isn't satisfactory.

I get the signature of the buyer on an "as is, where is" statement before I accept the money and/or ship the merchandise. Sure avoids a lot of problems.

In the present instance it sounds a bit like the buyer wanted a component upgrade and figured you might as well pay for it. I could be wrong, of course.

will

Weiserb makes some good points but I stand by my guns. The responsibility of the seller is limited to communicating accurately and honestly to the buyer the condition and the performance of the equipment. No one can predict when a fault will occur--oh, that we only could!--so the notion that the buyer is entitled to make his own assessment and decide that the equipment is or isn't "good enough." is pretty fallacious.

As my friend Moe, the pawnshop owner, says, "You buy it, you bought it, baby." So long as the seller is ethical and honest, there is absolutely nothing inappropriate about that way of doing business.

I readily admit that I would LOVE to have the privilege to evaluate equipment and shove it back to the buyer if I didn't like it or it didn't perform the way I think it should. But to get that option, I go to a dealer and pay retail.

I fear that if Weiserb can't live with "as is, where is" we just will have to agree to be friends but not do business with each other. On the other hand, should I ever buy from him, I won't hold him responsible for anything other than honesty and accuracy.

I agree with one point, for sure: It's all about the music.

will

I've always assisted buyers in cases of carrier damage and I'm happy to report that sellers have always helped me. Seems to me that is all part of being ethical.

Before I ship something, I always send the buyer an email or talk by phone. For example: "OK, these will be shipped in the original cartons which will then be placed inside a larger box with at least 4" of bubble wrap on all sides. DO YOU FIND THIS SATISFACTORY? If not, you may specify the manner in which you want it packed and shipped and I will do so at actual cost."

How could I possibly be fairer than that?

Actually, in only one instance have I ever had a buyer contact me to complain and he reported that an LD player was DOA. I had tested it half an hour before packing and it worked fine then, but I told him to go ahead and ship it back to me. When I got it back, it ran fine. I figured he just wanted out of the deal but I called him and he said, "Ship it back to me." I replied, "OK, but this time it's yours, no matter what." And he agreed.

Three days later he called to report that it was AOK. In my heart of hearts, I'm still convinced that he changed his mind twice but what the heck, we're both happy.

A good heart makes the whole process work better, as I know you agree.

will

will